Fans reacted to Karun Nair’s failure to turn his start into a huge innings in the third Test against England at Lord’s on Friday, July 11. Nair received criticism for his inability to make significant contributions while being well-set, even if it was his best knock of the series.
Karun Nair arrived to the crease at a critical moment, when the visitors lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) in the second over. Together with KL Rahul, the right-hander was leading the squad with skill as they maneuvered around the English bowling unit.
Many people anticipated Nair to maintain his momentum now that he appeared to be in good health. But Joe Root made a spectacular one-handed catch in the slips after Ben Stokes gave the experienced hitter the edge.
Nair was so removed on 40 off 62, bringing India down to 74/2 in the 21st over. It is noteworthy that, with a 303*-run innings against England in 2016, it was his second-best century in Test cricket.
Karun Nair’s knock did not impress the fans, and they responded with remarks on X (previously Twitter). Among them, one wrote:
Karun Nair can't catch a break man, it's not his mistake. The catches and the balls he gets out will get 99/100 people out. Actually feel bad for him. #ENGvIND
— Ratnesh (@ratnesh03079) July 11, 2025Karun Nair getting out in 30s 40s is mandatory. Looks good at the start but couldn't convert. Very bad.
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) July 11, 2025I really feel for Karun Nair.. puts in all the hard work to get into the 30s and 40s, but just can’t convert it into a big one.
This is the second-highest score of his Test career… pic.twitter.com/x9XchIWG4y
— Vipin Tiwari (@Vipintiwari952) July 11, 2025Here are the other reactions:
“Karun Nair was batting quite well & a 100 here could have give his Test career a 2nd life but sadly another score of 30-40 with Root’s stunner, it won’t help him to get selected in next series. Best of luck to him for next few tests, as he will play in them with today’s knock,” a fan posted.
“Right, off with Karun Nair. Keeps getting in, and then getting out. If you’re not set after playing 50-60 balls in every innings, you’re not cut out for this level. Enough opportunities, now let’s move on,” another wrote.
“Sadly Karun Nair ain’t it…another classic case of being a prolific run scorer in domestic cricket doesn’t guarantee that you will succeed in international cricket,” a fan tweeted.
Sanjay Manjrekar Wants Karun Nair Dropped from India’s Lineup for 3rd Test
Former hitter Sanjay Manjrekar argued in an ESPNCricinfo interview for Sai Sudharsan to be included in India’s Lord’s Test starting lineup. He believes Sudharsan is more suited at No. 3 than Karun Nair and felt it was unfair that he was dropped after just one appearance.
According to Hindustan Times, Manjrekar stated:
“But I would like to see Sai Sudharsan at number three. Karun Nair is not a number-three player in my book. It is unfair to drop him after one Test if everyone is getting big hundreds. I think Sai deserves that opportunity as well.”
Sanjay Manjrekar
Notably, Sai Sudharsan was left out of the next two Test matches after returning from the first match at Headingley with knocks of 0 and 20. Whether he takes Karun Nair’s place in the remaining games will be intriguing to watch.
